CVE-2019-7972
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a type confusion vulnerability in Adobe Photoshop CC that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. Users running Photoshop CC versions 19.1.8 and earlier or 20.0.5 and earlier are vulnerable. Exploitation typically requires the victim to open a malicious file.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Photoshop CC
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control over the victim's computer, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement within networks.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution within the context of the Photoshop application, allowing file system access, data exfiltration, or installation of malware.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper application sandboxing, least privilege principles, and file validation are implemented, potentially containing the exploit to the application context.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening a malicious file). No public proof-of-concept has been released, but the high CVSS score suggests weaponization is possible.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Photoshop CC 19.1.9 and 20.0.6
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop/apsb19-44.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud application. 2. Navigate to the 'Apps' tab. 3. Find Photoshop CC and click 'Update'. 4. Wait for the update to complete. 5. Restart Photoshop to apply the patch.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict file types
allConfigure system or application policies to block opening of untrusted Photoshop files (PSD, PSB, etc.) from unknown sources.
Application sandboxing
allRun Photoshop in a sandboxed environment or virtual machine to limit potential damage from exploitation.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict file validation policies and user training to avoid opening untrusted Photoshop files
- Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious Photoshop process behavior
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Photoshop version via Help > About Photoshop in the application menu. If version is 19.1.8 or earlier, or 20.0.5 or earlier, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
On Windows: Check registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Photoshop\[Version]\PluginVersion. On macOS: Check /Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC [Year]/Adobe Photoshop CC [Year].app/Contents/Info.plist for CFBundleShortVersionString.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify Photoshop version is 19.1.9 or later for version 19.x, or 20.0.6 or later for version 20.x.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual Photoshop process crashes
- Suspicious file access patterns from Photoshop process
- Creation of unexpected child processes by Photoshop
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections initiated by Photoshop process
- DNS queries for suspicious domains from systems running Photoshop
SIEM Query:
process_name:"photoshop.exe" AND (process_crash OR child_process_creation)